Bill Details
View committees (1)
View cosponsors (18)
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-California]
- Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-Nevada]
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-Hawaii]
- Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-New Hampshire]
- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-Minnesota]
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-Oregon]
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-New Jersey]
- Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-Michigan]
- Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-Colorado]
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-Oregon]
- Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-South Dakota]
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-Rhode Island]
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-Arizona]
- Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-Maine]
- Sen. Fetterman, John [D-Pennsylvania]
- Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-Wisconsin]
- Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-Georgia]
- Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-Maryland]
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would increase the travel payment rate that the Department of Veterans Affairs gives some veterans for health-related travel. Instead of using a fixed mileage amount, the VA would have to pay at least the same per-mile rate that federal employees get when they use their own car for official work. The bill also says the VA must process these travel payments faster, so eligible veterans would get paid within 90 days after they properly submit a request. In simple terms, the bill is meant to help veterans cover more of the cost of getting to VA-covered medical care and to reduce long waits for reimbursement.
- The VA mileage payment rate would have to be at least as high as the rate paid to federal employees using their own vehicles for official business.
- The bill would replace the current fixed mileage amount with a rate tied to the government-wide employee reimbursement rate.
- If a veteran submits a proper request for travel reimbursement, the VA would need to pay it within 90 days.
- The bill makes related technical changes to match the new payment rules.
Official Summaries
Driver Reimbursement Increase for Veteran Equity Act of 2025 or the DRIVE Act of 2025
This bill increases the mileage reimbursement rate available to beneficiaries for travel to or from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities in connection with vocational rehabilitation, required counseling, or for the purpose of examination, treatment, or care. Specifically, the bill makes the reimbursement rate for such travel equal to or greater than the mileage reimbursement rate for government employees using private vehicles when no government vehicle is available.
The bill also requires the VA to ensure that an allowance based on mileage is paid not later than 90 days after the request is properly submitted to the VA.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 599 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 599
To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the mileage rate
offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs through their Beneficiary
Travel program for health related travel, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 13, 2025
Mr. Welch (for himself, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Hirono, Mrs.
Shaheen, Ms. Smith, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Booker) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the mileage rate
offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs through their Beneficiary
Travel program for health related travel, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Driver Reimbursement Increase for
Veteran Equity Act of 2025'' or the ``DRIVE Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. PAYMENTS OR ALLOWANCES BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR
BENEFICIARY TRAVEL.
(a) Minimum Payment Amount.--Subsection (g) of section 111 of title
38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``(g) The Secretary shall ensure that the mileage rate described in
subsection (a) is equal to or greater than the mileage reimbursement
rate for the use of privately owned vehicles by Government employees on
official business (when no Government vehicle is available), as
prescribed by the Administrator of General Services under section
5707(b) of title 5.''.
(b) Timely Processing of Allowances.--Subsection (b) of such
section is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(5) If, with respect to any fiscal year, the Secretary exercises
the authority under this section to make any payments, the Secretary
shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that an allowance
based on mileage paid under subsection (a) is paid not later than 90
days after the date on which a request for such allowance is properly
submitted to the Secretary in accordance with such regulations as may
be prescribed by the Secretary.''.
(c) Conforming Amendments.--Such section is further amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``(at a rate of 41.5
cents per mile)'' and inserting ``(at a rate determined in
accordance with subsection (g))''; and
(2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``and notwithstanding
subsection (g)(2) of this section''.
<all>